(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ballistic protective wear or body armor and, more particularly, to a multilayer laminated woven structure for ballistic protective wear conformable to non-planar surfaces, e.g., female torso.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Typically, multilayer fabrics have been used for composites and laminated structures. Additionally, the use of high performance fibers within multilayer laminated and composite structures is known in the art.
Prior art material for use in ballistic protective wear or body armor commonly employs laminated woven structures to provide resistance to penetration from high velocity and high impact projectiles.
Additionally, thermoplastic materials have been used in prior art to fuse fibers of textile structures for certain applications. More particularly, resins are used to provide interstitial strength and overall structural cohesion in a substrate after having been infused into the substrate and often treated under heat and/or pressure for curing.
However, prior art laminated materials for ballistic protection and impact resistance have not been well-suited for all body types of human beings, particularly when using the materials to provide ballistic protection in the torso region, especially for women. Given the requirements for laminate overall thickness to ensure ballistic- and impact-resistance effectiveness, most laminated materials for ballistic protection, particularly those developed for torso protection, have been constructed in a substantially planar vest form. While the vest form is configured to functionally satisfy ballistic- and impact-resistance requirements, its inflexibility, bulk, and thickness caused problems with fit, or match to torso size and shape, and comfort. Moreover, multiplayer fabric and laminate design precluded tailoring without compromising functional protective characteristics of the vest or body armor.
Thus, there remains a need for a multilayer laminated woven structure for ballistic protective wear that is moldable to substantially conform to non-planar human body shapes, e.g., a female torso and/or bust region, and capable of retaining that molded shape for providing increased comfort and ease of movement when the protective wear is in use.